Hi, Has anyone ever heard of a prototype Virtual Boy with a green display? Also does anyone have any pictures of the inside of a Virtual Boy, mainly the motherboard and the led display setup? Thanks
There is the controller board at http://www.virtual-boy.org/specs.htm Some internal shots (but not many) here: www.virtual-boy.org/fixvblineserror.htm
Well now I understand how it works hehe But I'm wondering about the LEDs, would it be possible to swap them or are they some custom size? I've searched all around google and have not found anything about a green colored display.
I doubt you'd want to do it. If you do manage it, don't go with white LEDs. You could hurt your eyes in doing so. One of the reasons Nintendo chose red was that it reduces eye strain due to the lower frequency light and the better contrast against black.
I'm not planning on it, I happen to talk to someone who is selling one, He claims its a prototype with a green display. So I'm thinking either he has something super rare, or its some custom work, maybe a colored film over the eye holes or an LED swap
The technology is based off red led technology with mirrors. I suppose one could use green, but the depth perception would be much reduced vs red. The human eye is not so adept at green, with red being the preferred color for lights used at night to prevent loss of the chemicals that build up in the the human eye for night vision. The green would have to be dim, dull and flat in color for it to work. With the introduction of new leds, one could perhaps swap the led for a different color, but damage to the eye might occur if one was nor careful...
Huh, didn't know about that. I've read that night-vision goggles are green because the human eye has more green receptors. :shrug:
Yes but depth perception sucks, so they used red. " A red light has been the traditional choice for retaining your night vision since before WWII when the military settled on red as the best choice. Recently, there has been a move to green and blue-green light, precipitated in large part by the military's change to green, which itself has been primarily motivated by the increased use of night vision equipment. As it turns out, green light also offers some advantages over red as a means to retain night vision capability. However, it isn't cut and dried. Total brightness, or illumination level, of the light has a potentially more significant effect on night vision retention than does the choice of red or green. Because your eyes are more receptive to green light, we gain better visual acuity at lower light levels than when using red light. Green also allows for differentiation between colors that red does not and the magenta used on aviation charts, for example, is readily readable under green light, not always the case with red. Both reasons contribute to the fact that pilots and many others generally seem to prefer green over red, it simply makes it easier to see and read in the dark cockpit. The potential problem is with the actual illumination levels we use, not the color of the light. The brighter the light, the more negative impact on night vision, both in our capacity to see and in how long it takes to gain back optimum night vision. This is true regardless of whether it is red or green. Ideally, you want to use only as bright a light, red or green, as is necessary to perform your chores and no more. However, if you have a brighter light than you actually need, a brighter green light will generally have a more negative effect than an equally bright red light. Green or blue-green has a greater capacity to adversely effect night vision because the eye is about 100 times more sensitive to these colors, so even moderately too bright light can have a serious deleterious effect. Another complication is that individuals' visual acuity at low light levels varies quite a bit, so what would be perfect for one, might be too bright or too dim for another. In other words, without some means to vary intensity, odds are no light will be perfect. Bottom line is that red or green will both perform adequately, but what you really should be more concerned about is to avoid very high illumination levels, of either color, if retaining night vision acuity is your goal."
Check with Ferry at the Virtual Boy site noted in one of these posts He knows most everything VB related
Having seen Ice Age 3 in "3D" recently it has become apparent that there is no such need to resort to colorlessness in order to perceive volume in our field of view. Differing degrees of fuziness in tandem with the proper cross-eyed lenses can make for a viable yet coloured 3D effect. That being said, I came out with a strong visual discomfort despite being a passive viewer. My brain would probably explode if I had to game in similar conditions. On topic now, I feel neither sorry nor sad that the VB did not use any other shade of a single colour because the bottom line would have been the same. It is an interesting fact, if proven, that they considered using green, but knowing Nintendo they must have opted for the cheapest alternative, not necessarily the best. PS: I like what you've done with your nickname M37r01D, very cryptic, I wonder what it means once deciphered. Reminds me of a certain zero used in my own nickname for the sake of uniqueness.
Not really. If you played for hours it would, but not mere minutes. @barc0de: You know it says Metroid, right?
Maybe i'm a negative person but I knew it was sarcasm... Guessing nobody knows about any green protos? Metroid you wouldn't happen to have any pics of the console or of it functioning would you?
